Piedmont

• 🌍 Turin (Torino), the first capital of modern Italy, is an elegant fun city.
• 🌍 Alba - the entrance to the Langhe, the home of Nutella Chocolate spread, otherwise best known for its ancient Roman walls, elegant wines and exotic truffles
• 🌍 Alessandria - a city and province in the southeast, the province also containing Acqui Terme, a beautiful Roman town famous for its hot sulphur springs and ancient baths
• 🌍 Arona - the southernmost port on Lake Maggiore
• 🌍 Asti - centre of the Piedmont wine area, an important medieval republic known as “City of 100 Towers”, of which around 15 still stand in the old historical walled city
• 🌍 Barolo - a small town south of Alba, world famous for its red wine
• 🌍 Beaulard -
• 🌍 Biella - a town and province with a strong tradition in wool and clothes production, and a 13th-century fortification at Candelo
• 🌍 Bra - a city situated midway between Cuneo and Turin that is one of the main centers of the Piedmontese Baroque style with its many churches and palaces of the 17th and 18th centuries
• 🌍 Carema
• Cuneo - Capital and largest city of Piedmont's largest province, one of the main centers of Italian "Resistenza" during World War II with a surprisingly strong industrial base.
• 🌍 Domodossola - a city at the foot of the Alps in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
• 🌍 Ivrea - a town in the province of Turin
• 🌍 Moncalieri
• 🌍 Montalto Dora
• 🌍 Neive
• 🌍 Novara - a city and province in the east of Piedmont
• 🌍 Oulx
• 🌍 Parella
• 🌍 Savigliano
• 🌍 Stresa - a sophisticated small town on the western shore of Lake Maggiore that is known for its pleasant climate and scenic surroundings and functions in part as a health resort
• 🌍 Verbania - the main city of western Lake Maggiore, with beautiful lakeside mansions, plenty of shops and restaurants, and one of the biggest farmers' market around the lake
• 🌍 Limone Piemonte - Small village near the French border and popular ski resort .

• 🌍 Lake Maggiore is one of the largest lakes in Italy, about 65 km (40 miles) long with a width of 1 km (0.62 mi) to 4 km (2.5 mi), and a pleasantly temperate climate. Most of the western shore is in Piedmont and contains a number of picturesque towns.
• The vineyard regions of Langhe, Monferrato and Roero Hills lie in the center of Piedmont and are a mixture of limestone and sandstone deposits laid down by the retreating Adriatic 3 million years ago, now cut by numerous river valleys and the area of most of Piedmont's wines. The "Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato" is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• 🌍 Langhe - in Cuneo Province to the south and west of the river Tanaro famous for its wines, and for its truffles. The hills of Langhe contain Piedmont's finest vineyards. The grapes grown in this region are primarily nebbiolo, dolcetto and barbera. The nebbiolo grape is used to make the renowned Piedmontese red wines Barolo and Barbaresco. Within Langhe are famous wine towns such as Barolo, La Morra, Monforte, Serralunga d'Alba and Barbaresco.
• Monferrato - extending from Turin to the eastern border of Alessandria, bounded by the Po River to the north and merging into Langhe in the south. The Monferrato is divided into northern and southern areas with Asti in the center. This area is also a well known wine area particularly for Barbera d'Asti, as well as less known varieties such as Fresia, Grignolino, Brachetto, Malavasia and Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato; it is also known for one of the rare white wines of the region: the Gavi. The Monferrato is also famous for its white truffles found in Autumn and celebrated in local festivals each Sunday.
• Roero - the hills situated on the west bank of Tanaro River between Alba and Asti. The sandier soil produces light Nebbiolo wines as well as Piedmont’s best white variety the Arneis. The area is also famous for its honey; there is a beekeeping trail you can walk, as well as peaches (check the local markets in summer and autumn). And then there is the Eco-museum of the Roero rocks, or the great path of the Roero a hiking trail stretching from Cisterna to Bra which incorporates the Roero rocks, ancient lime and sandstone cliffs.

Native Piedmontese are friendly and down to earth. This region has been the industrial heart of Italy since 1800, even though nowadays it's experiencing some economic difficulties connected with loss of industry. Tourism is a growing factor.

The monarchy has left strong heritage across the region, particularly in wide natural parks (former king's hunting reserves) and in 18th- and 19th-century buildings.

Piedmontese is spoken by about 2-3 million people throughout Piedmont. However, Italian dominates everyday communication.

In 2004, Piedmontese was recognized as Piedmont's regional language by the regional parliament, although the Italian government does not recognize it. It has, however, been recognized as a separate language by the European Union. It is supposed to be taught to children in school, but this is happening only in a limited way.

While the Piedmont region does not attract as many foreign tourists as Rome or Milan, locals can usually speak a few foreign languages. French is widely understood and sometimes spoken at a basic level thanks to the geographic proximity with France. Once very uncommon, English has become widespread, especially with younger generations. German, albeit rare, can be spoken by a few people.

Although some local bus and train service exists, the best way to tour the Piedmont is by car, especially for tourists who want to venture outside Turin and a few other large cities.

The region has numerous interesting museums, some of the best are found in Turin including Museo Egizio, the second most important Egyptian museum in the world, and National Cinema Museum, most famed for the spectacular building.

If you can, try the Bollito Misto and Fritto Misto. These are two very traditional dishes and you may only be able to find them in old restaurants far from the tourist circuit. The Bollito Misto is a mix of beef and pork meat boiled with vegetables and eaten with a variety of sauces. The Fritto Misto is a mixture of fried meats and vegetables. Another very typical meal is Bagna Cauda: it consists of a hot garlic sauce eaten with raw vegetables. Try also the "Paniscia vercellese" a typical dish from Vercelli made with rice, beans and sausages. You can eat also fried frogs and good fishes from lake and rivers.

Piedmont also boasts a range of typical sweet dishes, biscuits, etc. Chocolate is a particular specialty of the region.

Piedmont is well known for its great wines, particularly Barolo and Barbaresco but also Dolcetto, Arneis, Freisa, Gavi and others. Most vineyards are on the Langhe hills around Asti and Alba and on Monferrato other hills between Alba an Alessandria, but the passion for strong red wines has spread among the entire territory. Try also beers (Menabrea) and aromated wines (Vermuths).

You will find many accommodations from bed & breakfast to superb hotels. A good place to stay is the Verbania area at Lake Maggiore. In Stresa you will find the most sophisticated hotels. Camping is also available. A good way to learn more about the area is staying at an agritourismo or a family oriented B&B.

Piedmont is generally a very safe region. Parts of Turin have modest petty crime, but otherwise you are not likely to encounter any danger.

• Aosta Valley